10 ways to protect your business from crime

Did you know that 20% of all recorded crime in the UK is made against businesses – so it’s important that companies are aware of who and what could be at risk and the protection they need to put in place before it’s too late.

1

Risk assessments are usually associated with health & safety but you should also think about how criminals could potentially take advantage of your company. You may think this is to prevent people from accessing or breaking-in to your premises – but it could also be about identifying the potential for internal thefts.

2

Ensure you have adequate locks on doors and windows and make someone responsible for ensuring they’re locked at the end of every day.

3

Install an adequate intruder alarm and place the alarm box in a prominent position outside of the property – thieves will think twice about entering an alarmed building.

4

Install a CCTV system to monitor vulnerable points and external yards – these can be linked to an alarm and monitoring system so you can keep an eye on your premises from your own home.

5

Control access to your property with fobs or cards so you can restrict people movement and have a record of who’s on the premises at any given time.

6

Install adequate external lighting.

7

Secure your equipment, carry out regular property and equipment audits. Tag computers and record serial numbers and even consider securing expensive equipment to the floors or walls.

8

Keep a close eye on your stock to identify discrepancies early.

9

Always verify previous employment history and make sure you check references.